Official Test Results: Five Ways to Heat a Tent

[MattJ]

Thanks for all of the continued input. Some quick responses to a few questions, just to let you know I am still following this thread closely:

why not use 3in insulated home ducting? it packs up like a slinky and would be perfect for discharge air after the first few feet of metal line..and all of the return air...

https://www.efireplacestore.com/sbi-...hoC2PQQAvD_BwE

Thanks for this idea - definitely a cheaper solution, and maybe even better insulation. But I wanted to make hoses that were extremely durable and could withstand rain, wind and lots of abuse from being packed and unpacked many times in the field. But I guess another option is just buy cheaper hoses and replace them more often if they get banged up or ripped?

0.5kw@ 120 v = 4.2AH. At 12v = 42 AH. Very doable with a 105Ah battery....

as to the comments about the electric blankets not feeling warm to the touch, they generally do not, but based on our experience my suggestion would be you give them another opportunity. They really are power misers, and do good job keeping you warm...

My Optima yellow top is nowhere near 105Ah. I agree that the mattress warmer and electric blankets are a good option that I didn't test appropriately in the field. I would guess they are particularly good for kids. But ultimately, I decided the strategy of converting battery power to heat wasn't a good option for me since I typically set up camp and stay a few days without running the vehicle engine. Plus, I'd probably need more than one electric blanket or mattress warmer since my kids are too big to share a sleeping bag or a single comforter. I am hoping to figure out a solution that works with two kids in the annex and two adults in the top tent.

Great post. One more option. I just got a titanium wood stove. See e.g titanium goat. Nice dry heat for the annex. Worth checking out.

Would be great for a tipi-style tent. I nearly bought a tipi tent and was thinking about a wood stove for it, but then I realized I need to stay focused on figuring out how to heat my Tepui tent and annex, which is NOT a small investment! Plus, a wood stove isn't really an option for me with two hyperactive kids bouncing around in the annex.

I am hoping for some more cold but dry weather so I can set up the tent and annex in my driveway and try out different configurations of the Propex hose system I built. I don't want to hassle with wet gear just for a driveway test, so I need to find the right cold, dry weekend to give it a try. Will post pics and results here.

 

[Factoid]

Is the input too hot for something like this?

https://www.mcmaster.com/#insulated-duct-hose/=1bs7911

 

[chet6.7]

"a wood stove isn't really an option for me with two hyperactive kids bouncing around in the annex."
You could put the kids up top,that might not be a bad idea if security is ever an issue.
The folding wood stoves are pretty cool,if you don't mid mucking with feeding them.I did see a guy on youtube using wood pellets,so that would cut down on the wood gathering,sawing,splitting angle.I liked doing that when I was young,now... propane baby!

 

[Nd4SpdSe]

If you don't mine, I'd like to add some info in regards to my experience with my Webasto this past weekend. While it was a last minute trip, I really wish I would of though to bring the multimeter to measure the voltage drop. On the Webasto, I have a new of last year, Motomaster Eliminator Ultra AGM battery rated at reserve capacity of 120min @ 25amp and a 55amp/hr capacity. They seem to do the job and will replace them with something better when I deep them insufficient. Anyway, we did some winter camping on the weekend. temperature was down to -3*C overnight with a little wind. We started the heater a little after midnight and stopped it around or after 10:30am. It ran constantly the whole time at what I want to say was was around 80-90% of it's capacity, but it's hard to say since I think it's holding itself back since it's reached it's maximum output temperature and it doesn't go above that level. I could only hold my hand above the heat output for maybe less then a minute before it got too hot. I've also have no recirculation ducting setup at the moment, so it's drawing all it's air from outside. It did work absolutely great. During the night I did find it a bit cold at one point, but when I got up to pee, it's when I realised that my girlfriend has a 2" opening the whole length of the window in the RTT on her side. Closing that up made it nice and toasty again. We also had only the summer blankets inside the tent, and despite me asking the girlfriend several times where the extra warm blankets were, she never answered and I gave up. She said she though I was talking about towels. As well, all the side flaps were open. Keeping them down would help cut the wind and add a little extra layer of insulation. What I'm curious is that I suspect the issue that may arise as temps get colder is not the heat output of the heater, but being able to retain that heat inside the tent. I'm guessing we're probably good to -10*C as is, but getting colder then that would require probably something like the Tepui WeatherHood. Oddly, winter seems to be on it's way out early this year, so I don't think I'll be seeing anything close to -10 until the end of the year, for good or for bad.

.

 

[TailLights]

Here’s an idea I messed with a while back. I bought a rear heater out of a newer Suburban for $65, which is basically a heat exchanger in a box with a fan and some electronic controls. The wiring was trivial to figure out, and I ended up just having to hook it up to a 12 volt source to get all the controls working.

I then used one of those outdoor propane water heaters to put hot water through it. I think it was the Eccotemp brand, and it was around $100. I had a 12 volt water pump to move the water through the assembly. I don’t know the brand of the water pump, but a quick google shows you can buy them for $30-$50.

I hooked the water pump wires to the same wires as the fan inside the heater box, so they would both come on at the same time. The Eccotemp turns itself on when it senses the water is moving, so you don’t need anything further to control it.

It sounds complicated, but it was really trivial to get it to work. I set this up in my garage and it put out a ton of heat. The fan in the heater box appears to draw quite a bit of juice, so I don’t know how miserly this would be running off a battery - further testing would be needed. This is a total hillbilly setup, but it was easy and threw a ton of heat. I have pics somewhere, I’ll try to find them to post what it looked like.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Wirebrush]

Here's an idea I messed with a while back. I bought a rear heater out of a newer Suburban for $65, which is basically a heat exchanger in a box with a fan and some electronic controls. The wiring was trivial to figure out, and I ended up just having to hook it up to a 12 volt source to get all the controls working.

I then used one of those outdoor propane water heaters to put hot water through it. I think it was the Eccotemp brand, and it was around $100. I had a 12 volt water pump to move the water through the assembly. I don't know the brand of the water pump, but a quick google shows you can buy them for $30-$50.

I hooked the water pump wires to the same wires as the fan inside the heater box, so they would both come on at the same time. The Eccotemp turns itself on when it senses the water is moving, so you don't need anything further to control it.

It sounds complicated, but it was really trivial to get it to work. I set this up in my garage and it put out a ton of heat. The fan in the heater box appears to draw quite a bit of juice, so I don't know how miserly this would be running off a battery - further testing would be needed. This is a total hillbilly setup, but it was easy and threw a ton of heat. I have pics somewhere, I'll try to find them to post what it looked like.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Fantastic idea! I have a similar heater from a piece of heavy equipment that should work well for conversion to a tent heater. I don't know why this never occurred to me. I'd love to see some pics!

 

[MattJ]

Fantastic idea! I have a similar heater from a piece of heavy equipment that should work well for conversion to a tent heater. I don't know why this never occurred to me. I'd love to see some pics!

And it sure is MUCH cheaper then a Propex system. Will be interesting so see what the power consumption is. We just got a foot of wet snow dumped on us here in Boston, so it will be another week or two before I am able to set up a driveway test of the insulated hose system I built for my Propex. Stay tuned.

 

[woytovich]

Here's an idea I messed with a while back.....

Almost exactly what I am in the process of building. I already have a pump, battery and heater "kit" rigged up as a portable shower/hot water source that has worked well.

I picked up a couple of small heat exchangers with 12v (computer) fans already attached. I'd build them into a small box (ammo?) with quick release garden hose fittings. I was thinking of adding an adjustable thermostatic switch to the system that would turn on/off the pump and fans. The heater is on-demand so it'll shut off when the pump does. The pump currently runs off of a 19ah battery in the "kit" - for use as a heater, where the pump will need longer run times, I'll probably need to use a portable full size battery (I don't want to run off of the truck battery)

This would be for heating the inside of my Yukon XL (my tow rig), where I sleep when wheeling/camping. I'll need to work out a way to run the water hoses inside - maybe a "bulkhead" panel that can go into a partially rolled down window. Quick release on the water and gas hoses make set-up and breakdown easy and fast. I'll want the heater (running off of a 20lb tank) a good ways away from the truck to reduce risk if there is a fire or gas leak or fumes and to keep pump noise to a minimum.

 

[Rainier70]

Nuway blind heater

http://nuwaystove.com/product-category/propane-stove/

I use a little propane stove in my cargo trailer. Besides the stove you need a stove pipe and a 3 in cast iron damper (without the damper too much heat goes out the pipe). For my application I sealed the stove up and put an air intake pipe out the bottom for an air intake. It just provides a little bit more safety in my enclosed area.

I have seen these used in cabin tents at hunting camps. Stove pipe goes out through a stove jack in the tent wall.

This is the air intake

The stove pipe out. The stove is set too close to the wall. I didn't really have it set up to run, only set to take a picture of the piping. Also I now have black pipe(Amazon) to avoid the galvanizing. I didn't get any galvanizing off gas as I didn't run it hot in the CT.

I know this won't fit your situation, but I thought I would throw it in here as a brainstorm idea.

 

[MattJ]

I saw this mini wood stove at the HPBA convention this weekend (Hearth, Patio and BBQ Association). Really nice crastmanship and quality. I couldn't fit the chimney in the picture but it extends up eight feet.

 

[TailLights]

I found some pics from when I was messing with the setup from the Suburban rear heater. Here's what I bought off eBay. It came with the front dash controls, the rear overhead controls, and the wiring harness.



And here is it attached to a board with the eccotemp heater and water pump:




I dug it out and took a few more close up shots for you guys that want to see it:




Interestingly enough, the heater box has two output air ducts, and inside the heater box there is an actuator that moves an air-door that controls where the warm air comes out - and it works from the controls. You could have it setup with two ducts, and be able to adjust how much heat goes to either. I'm not sure how useful that would be in an RTT since it's a small area, but perhaps you could peel off a small percentage of heat to put into the annex, or into the trailer where your water/plumbing is... food for thought.


Dave

 

[woytovich]

My shower project that'll maybe become a heater as well.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/portable-propane-shower.821704/#post-9414983

 

[Model97]

Small Kni-co wood stove. Sew a stove jack into the tent. Anti-condensation, can heat water, all the heat you will need and more.

 

[MattJ]

Finally had a chance to test my rebuilt hoses with the Propex heating system on a cold night. I hung some reflective emergency blankets in the tent and annex to help retain the heat.

 

[chet6.7]

So,how did it work?